Thursday 7 January 2010

Review: Boots Extracts Fairtrade Brazil Nut Body Butter

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I received this as part of a gift set at Christmas along with two body washes which I’ll also be reviewing separately in the next week. It’s a body butter from the Boots Extracts range – all fairtrade and what not. I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I think of body butter, my mind instantly jumps to The Body Shop. I’ve never tried any of their body butters though – in fact, this is my first dance with body butters rather than just moisturiser.

The spiel on the Boots website page for this product is:


“Boots Extracts has been developed to make a difference. Extracts have created this wonderfully indulgent brazil nut body butter with Fairtrade certified ingredients.”


and on the packaging it is claimed that the product “intensively moisturises and hydrates, leaving skin feeling soft and smooth”. The base of the product also has a little story about shea butter and it’s work to support West African communities.

First off, I wouldn’t have chosen brazil nut as the flavour, if I had had the chance to choose. The smell isn’t exactly horrible, but it’s not pleasant to me. Sometimes it even smells a little bit like plasticine. And it’s not too pleasing on the eye either:

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I don’t know if this is a problem with the formula or just a problem that’s occurred due to the extreme cold snap we’ve been having in Britain since forever. The butter has taken on a fairly solid consistency and seems to be a little bit waxy, buy I do think that is due to the cold – we don’t leave the heating on while we’re in bed so the flat is freezing. Even right now, the bottom of the pot is very very very cold against my thigh where it’s perched. This has been making it difficult to get the butter out – you can see in the picture where my fingers have been clawing at it pitifully.

Once it’s out of the pot and on warm skin though, it’s all fine and dandy. I tend to use it straight out of the shower while my skin is still hot and it practically melts away from the solid little lumps I manage to get out into a nice thick cream… or, well, butter. It’s quickly absorbed into skin while it’s warm and leaves it feeling quite soft and smooth. The smell of the brazil nut lingers for a few hours, but it’s most definitely not overpowering.

Overall, I would give this product 3.5 out of 5 – the smell doesn’t appeal and due to the current consistency of the product, I’m not too pleased. I might re-evaluate this score once the cold goes away. I can’t blast this product for price though; at only £7.50 for 200ml compared to The Body Shop’s £12.50 for their butter of the same size, it’s almost half price. You can also get 50ml mini body butters from both companies with Boots weighing in at a measly £2.50 and The Body Shop being a splurge at £5. You can get Boots Extract Fairtrade Body Butters online or in store.

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2 comments:

  1. The cold temperatures are raking havoc with my moisterisers! I had a bath with a bottle of body lotion (sealed) inside so when I put it on later in the evening it'd be warm :)

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  2. Its got to be due to the extreme cold in your flat, as I received of this as part of a Christmas set and absolutely love it. The consistency is smooth and easy to apply right out of the pot, and the scent to me is fabulous (but what is pleasing to one person's sense of smell may not to another, thus the beauty of individualism). Try the Mango or the Honey scent...and leave more of the Brazil Nut for me!

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